1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air-conditioning device for vehicles, especially for railroad cars.
2. Description of the Prior Art
French Pat. No. 2,461,606 has described an air-conditioning installation for railroad cars, comprising a fan for blowing cold or heated air within a conduit which extends along the bottom portion of the internal lateral face of the car. This conduit opens into ducts for distributing the cold or heated air towards the top of the internal lateral face of the car and towards the bottom of this latter.
These distribution ducts are provided in an intermediate zone with an opening through which the air contained in the car is sucked into the above-mentioned distribution ducts.
Thus the installation comprises along each side wall of the car a succession of vertical ducts for upward and downward distribution of air.
Moreover, the conduit is provided opposite to each duct with an air delivery opening fitted with means for regulating the air flow rate. The air discharged from these openings is directed substantially parallel to the floor of the railroad car and practically at the level of the user's feet.
This air-conditioning installation is subject to a certain number of drawbacks.
In the first place, this installation is ill-suited to modern railroad cars which are not of the compartment type or in other words which do not have transverse partition-walls.
Thus in cars of this type, air is discharged into the interior of the car through openings which are separated from each other and fail to ensure uniform and homogeneous mixing of air.
This irregularity of mixing of air thus produces discontinuities of air flow rate and temperature which are detrimental to the comfort of passengers.
By reason of their motionless state, passengers are in fact very sensitive even to very slight differences in temperature as well as to local draughts at specific points.
Moreover, the present Applicant has observed that passengers were particularly disturbed by local draughts blown directly at the level of their feet.
The aim of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the known installation referred-to in the foregoing by proposing an air-conditioning device which is better suited to modern railroad cars without compartments while making it possible to obtain uniform and homogeneous mixing of air, thereby ensuring that passengers have the benefit of optimum comfort.